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What is SE Fest?

 SE Fest is a new writing festival based in south east London to promote and celebrate new writing. It is  hosted by two neighbouring venues, The Bridge House Theatre in Penge and The Jack Studio Theatre in Crofton Park, two award-winning theatres with a reputation for supporting and presenting new work.

The inaugural festival ran from Tuesday 3rd – Saturday 14th September 2024.

The Festival 2024 Programme is below!

From intimate one-person shows to physical theatre, these shows encompassed lived experience, explored Greek mythology and even delved into the realms of gothic darkness.

Dani’s Inferno by Charlotte Eyres

Tues 3 & Weds 4 September at 7.30pm, Jack Studio Theatre
Thurs 5 September at 7.30pm, The Bridge House Theatre

DANI’S INFERNO is a new musical comedy exploring the relationship between human desire and the climate crisis.

London is flooding and is days, maybe hours, away from being fully submerged. Dani is going around London, knocking on doors, trying to alert people and get them to safety when she stumbles upon a house party full of people who have no idea.

In this musical comedy, watch Dani party through the relationship between our desire to live and the realisation that our desires might just be the thing that’s killing us.

Cast: Charlotte Eyres

That Witch Helen by Catie Ridewood

Thurs 5 September at 7.30pm, Jack Studio Theatre
Tues 3 & Weds 4 September at 7.30pm, The Bridge House Theatre

The face that launched a thousand ships finally gets to speak.

Meet Helen, before Troy, in this feminist retelling of the Ancient Greek epic. Witness her divine beginnings (yes, she did hatch from an egg!), her youth as a Spartan warrior, her fateful decision to leave her husband, and finally the decade of brutal war and destruction that follows.

Straight from a sell-out run at Brighton Fringe, this “MUST SEE SHOW” and ‘absorbing retelling’ (FringeReview) blends myth, movement, and storytelling to let Helen of Troy tell her own story.

Cast: Catie Ridewood, Lorraine Yu, Sophia Mastrosavaki
Directed by Janette Eddisford

Deadnamed by Dian Cathal

Sat 7 September at 3.00pm & 7.30pm, Jack Studio Theatre
Fri 6 September at 7.30pm, The Bridge House THeatre

A funeral meets a queer circus.

Ever notice how a lot of mainstream language around coming out as transgender is about loss for the persons family and friends, as if the person they knew had, well, you know…

Dian did, so he’s throwing his own funeral tonight, and you’re all invited! Well, a funeral for his old self. The trans debate with an actual trans person, can you imagine?

”it’s funny and incredibly sweet… Dian handles the emotional maelstrom of the show with utmost grace. His charm and wit seep into every moment. Deadnamed is intelligent and moving; Dian packs a lot into its short run time. It’s an intense and emotional show, but you are safe in Dian’s hands.’ ★★★★★ Blizzard Comedy

‘It’s a stunning piece of theatre, and we then discover why we are really here. And it’s incredibly moving and likely to be different in every iteration.’ ★★★★ The Reviews Hub

Cast: Dian Cathal – The Artist Formerly Known as Lily

At Least I’m Not Bald by Valery Reva

Tues 10 & Weds 11 September at 7.30pm, Jack Studio Theatre
Thurs 12 September at 7.30pm, The Bridge House Theatre

What does it mean to have your life on the line? All that you care for and that you love put in jeopardy at the drop of a hat, a whisper in the dark, a word we all dread to hear.  But this is a safe space and all are welcome here – At Least I’m Not Bald will take you on a journey on what it means to be alive.

Based on the performer’s experience of surviving cancer and other cancer patients’ testimonies, the play discovers what it means to live when faced with heartbreaking tragedy.  We follow the poignant journey of a woman returning to her homeland of Ukraine for her annual check-up, only to face the shocking diagnosis. During her journey, she meets a variety of characters at the hospital while she prepares for surgery. As the anesthesia takes hold, she enters a captivating world where folklore, reality and storytelling blend into giant spectacle.

This show will leave you stunned, crying and laughing in the face of death.

‘she succeeds in drawing the audience into the heart of her story where they find that she is not only performing her own lived experience here, she is also painting a bigger picture – one of love and human connection, of fear and security, and of the preciousness and fragility of life… Reva is a fearless, authentic performer.’  ★★★★★ North West End

‘an utterly hilarious dark comedy… Forthright and gritty, this is a bold and refreshingly honest production.’ ★★★★ London Theatre 

‘At Least I’m Not Bald proves that we can laugh even when we are scared and sad, wondering why the world can be such an unfair place.’ ★★★★ Everything Theatre

Cast: Valery Reva
Directed by Kapil Redekar
Designer: Gabe Gilmour
Choreographer: Benita C. Lambrechts

I, Victor by Issy Flower

Thurs 12 September at 7.30pm, Jack Studio Theatre
Tues 10 & Weds 11 at 7.30pm, The Bridge House Theatre

Childhood sweethearts, after-school graveyard dwellers, and one of them is dead. Vic and Liz are made for each other. That is, until they’re not. Death might seem like the end, but Vic has other ideas.

Inspired by Mary Shelley’s infamous novel and pop-culture’s serial killer obsession, and previously seen at Oxford Playhouse’s Queer Fest and The Old Red Lion’s GrimmFest, I, Victor is a passionate tale of love, loss and voracious ambition.

After The Day are a new, London-based theatre company focusing on horror, history, and bad jokes.

‘Writer Issy Flower skilfully walks the line between gothic drama and comic realism… I, Victor is full of big, bold flavour.’ ★★★★ The Reviews Hub

Cast: Vic – Ellis Jupiter
Directed by Saskia Kraftowitz

BAIRNS by Annie Davison

Fri 13 September at 7.30pm, Jack Studio Theatre
Sat 14 September at 3.00pm & 7.30pm, The Bridge House Theatre

“When do you tell a guy that you’re pregnant? The very first date? I mean, it’s not like you’re mine.”

In a moment of weakness, Lottie agreed to be a surrogate for her sister and now she’s constantly tired, none of her clothes fit, and having a “belly buddy” is sort of ruining her life. But if that’s true, why is Lottie feeling the best she’s ever felt?

BAIRNS is a one-woman show written and performed by Annie Davison, that explores how far one person will go for their sister. Or their baby.

BAIRNS is presented by Take My Word, a daring theatre company comprising Lauren Carter, Daniel Bainbridge and Annie Davison. Previous shows include Shallow Resting Place at the Oxford Playhouse and Face Down in the Dirt at the King’s Head.

Cast: Lottie – Annie Davison
Directed by Daniel Bainbridge

I LOVE SEX / YOU LOVE SEX by Claudia Vyvyan

Sat 14 September at 3.00pm & 7.30pm, Jack Studio Theatre
Fri 13 September at 7.30pm, Bridge House Theatre

In a panic, Rema-Mae and Irys appear together in a windowless bedroom. As they realise they cannot escape, they are forced to learn how to intentionally love and care for one another, supporting one another through a beautiful story of care, queer love, friendship, and support. The show is focused on how mutual aid and compassionate friendships can promote a radical honesty that provides relief from the hardships of societal reality.

Powerhouse presents I LOVE SEX / YOU LOVE SEX which uses two characters inspired by Clytemnestra and Lysistrata from Greek writing as a framework to turn the conversation around both the politicisation and politick of having a female body on its head.

Being queer, femme, neurodiverse and a survivor of sexual trauma makes us acutely aware of the political power of our bodies. The mirroring of the characters emphasises the timelessness of this intersectional politicised experience for women and explores how we can heal, moving past the single effort for survival towards building honest and radical friendships that encourage us to thrive.

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